Room to improve
The Pelicans, Bucks and Wizards top USA TODAY Sports’ AllDisappointment list,
The best thing about the New Year is that it inspires hope.
It’s the annual reminder there’s time left to change, to improve one’s lot in life and continue the eternal mission of being the best version of ourselves. And so it goes for the 10 teams that make up the USA TODAY Sports All-Disappointment team for the 2015-16 NBA season.
The good news? We aren’t to the halfway point, with four-plus months left to turn things around.
The ranking is based on an unofficial formula comparing preseason expectations to present-tense reality, with teams at the top leading the pack of underwhelmers and the disappointment scale sliding downward. PELICANS (10-21) To be fair, no one truly expected the Pelicans to win the Western Conference, let alone win it all. But this has been bad in every way, with the Pelicans defense dipping from its 22nd ranking last season under then-coach Monty Williams (104.7 points allowed per 100 possessions) to 29th (107.9) and the offense falling from ninth (105.4 points scored per 100) to 13th (102.5). Injuries have played a major part, as guard Tyreke Evans had right knee surgery Oct. 20 and has played in 14 games; fellow guard Jrue Holiday has spent the season on minutes restriction after the stress reaction injury on his right leg last season; and point guard Norris Cole suffered a high ankle sprain in training camp that kept him out in November. BUCKS (12-21) Their 41-41 record and six-game first-round playoff loss to the Bulls in April raised expectations, and the offseason addition of big man Greg Monroe (along with retaining Khris Middleton and the return of Jabari Parker) had them in line to be one of the Eastern Conference elite. But the fit hasn’t been nearly as fantastic as we thought it would be. The defense has taken a nosedive (ranked second last season at 99.3 points allowed per 100 possessions; ranked 28th this season at 106.5). WIZARDS (14-15) The Wizards have been ravaged by injuries: Bradley Beal has been out since Dec. 9 with a stress reaction in his right leg; center Nene hasn’t played since Nov. 27 because of a calf injury; shooting guard/offseason free agent signee Alan Anderson is at least three weeks away from making his Wizards debut after needing ankle surgery in October; and forward Drew Gooden has played in six games because of a calf injury and is weeks away from returning. Washington is ranked 21st in defense (104.2 points allowed per 100) after finishing fifth in 2014-15 (100). ROCKETS (16-17) While they’ve played significantly better since Kevin McHale’s firing 11 games into the season — 4-7 before, and 12-10 after — the Rockets continue to confound. After James Harden & Co. made major improvements on defense last season during their run to the franchise’s first conference finals appearance in 18 years (they went from 12th to fourth in defensive rating), they’re ranked 24th (104.8 points allowed per 100). GRIZZLIES (18-16) Marc Gasol’s decision to re-sign did nothing to help with the reality of the Grizzlies roster: This is an aging bunch, and their unexpected decline on the defensive end (from fourth in defensive rating to 18th) is proof they’re a few steps slower this season. LAKERS (5-27) Look on the bright side, Lakers fans: Kobe Bryant’s production over the last 12 games has been tremendous (19.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists a game; 42.4% shooting overall; 32.4% from three-point range, entering Wednesday). That matters because of what this season has become, a victory lap for Bryant in his 20th and final season that includes very few victories. At this rate, the Lakers are better off hoping they’re bad enough to hold onto their 2016 first-round pick. It goes to Philadelphia unless they lose their way into the top three. KINGS (12-19) Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins added fuel to the fire that always seems to surround him, getting ejected in the third quarter of a Monday game against the Warriors in which the Kings were leading at the time. Considering the Kings’ track record when Cousins isn’t on the floor (12-41 without him since 2010, 1-7 without him this season; 11-12 with him this season), it was an ill-advised move. The roster that was revamped by lead executive Vlade Divac during the summer simply hasn’t panned out yet, which matters greatly considering point guard Rajon Rondo is on a oneyear deal. From coach George Karl on down, their respective futures will all be on the line these next few months. SUNS (12-21) Two seasons ago, coach Jeff Hornacek was a major bright spot for the rebuilding Suns when he led them to a 23-game improvement (25 wins the season before his arrival to 48). Now, with the Suns not only losing at a high rate but also creating their fair share of controversy, Hornacek is the last man standing on a coaching staff that has been completely overhauled by ownership and management as an unorthodox way to shake things up. CLIPPERS (19-13) Since landing Chris Paul via trade from New Orleans in 2011, the Clippers have won 60-plus percent of games between October and April. They were just 17-13 when Blake Griffin went down with a torn tendon in his left thigh that will sideline him for several weeks, a 56.6% rate of return that had them mired in the kind of mediocrity they so desperately want to avoid. BULLS (17-12) Bulls guard Jimmy Butler has publicly challenged first-year coach Fred Hoiberg to be more demanding. Pau Gasol and big man Joakim Noah are nearing free agency, and Derrick Rose has one season left on his deal. And while the Bulls’ record has them in the thick of things in the East, the net rating statistic that serves as a good gauge of a team’s play serves as a warning sign: They’re 14th overall and ninth in the East (+0.9).